Can't Lose You
by FujikoIzu
Summary: Riza Hawkeye wants to finally leave the military behind her. However, her superior has other ideas. Royai one-shot fluff.


**This one-shot is dedicated to the lovely ChidoriQueen :)**

The blonde-haired woman pushed the piece of paper hesitantly across the desk. Her hand was shaking slightly, as if she already knew what her superior's reaction would be. Naturally, she would turn out to be one hundred percent right. After all these years, it was only natural that she could predict how he would react to a situation. It had been her job to take care of him, to go above and beyond the call of duty for this one man, the man who now sat in command of the entire military. However, as she had come to realise recently, neither of them were getting any younger. It was time to move on, to start anew in a different place, to cover up the scars of their troubled pasts and leave before any more could be made. Enough was enough. He was Fuhrer now. As far as she was concerned, hanging around any longer would only cause her further pain, further scars to be etched on her heart like the slashes of an unintentionally sharp blade.

'Sir. I am giving you my letter of resignation,' Riza bowed, her fringe flopping forward in front of her eyes as she bowed curtly. 'I hope you understand.'

'Resignation?' her superior scoffed, unfolding the piece of paper with the kind of arrogance that only he could pull of without seeming unpleasant. 'Is this some kind of a joke? April Fool's day is next month, Hawkeye. Way to catch me off my guard, though. I'm impressed. Well done.'

'I'm not joking, sir,' Riza sighed, already having known what his reaction would be. 'I'm leaving. My time in compulsory service is up. In fact, it ended six months ago.'

'I see,' the former Colonel sighed, looking up at the defiant woman. Wrinkles were beginning to deepen around his eyes, crinkling slightly every time he changed the expression on his face. 'Well, then. I suppose that I have no choice but to accept this...regrettable decision of yours.'

'Yes, that's right, sir,' Riza nodded, her eyes turning glassily to the sky as Roy Mustang produced a pen from his jacket and an official-looking sheet of paper from the drawer underneath his desk. It had been many years since they had first met and with each year that passed, she had felt herself grow just a little more attached to him, the pressure of her unexpressed emotions building up in her body until she could stand it no longer. How long had it been now? Ten, fifteen years? She wasn't quite sure. All that she knew was the ache she held in her chest, the desire, the need to protect the man she spent so much time with had reached breaking point, the irrepressable push of choking emotions finally taking hold of her so strongly that she could no longer breathe. It was illogical, so illogical and ridiculous that she almost couldn't believe herself. Why did she feel this way about him? Why should she develop feelings, romantic feelings of all things for the one man that she was not allowed to feel such things for? Why did she allow herself to indulge in these fantasies, to keep her heart locked away when she knew that he would never and could never feel anything for someone like her? It was idiotic, naive, a teenage crush gone wrong but no matter how hard she tried, she could not repress the sensations she felt when he accidentally brushed her hand, when he accidentally called her Riza. That was why she had to leave, to leave forever, to never see that man again. Perhaps then she could finally move on, settle down, have children. Yes. Children. Children and a little house with a garden. That would be a nice change.

'So, what are you planning to do with your life, Hawkeye?' Mustang asked, nervously scratching at his head as he filled in the form.

'Forgive me, sir...but I believe that is my business,' she replied stiffly, struggling to hold back the urge to tell him, to tell him everything that she had wanted to say for so long. How could she tell him now? It would make no difference. Tomorrow, she would be gone, never to be heard from again. What did it matter now?

'Oh, come off it, Hawkeye. We've known each other for long enough,' Roy winked, leaning forward and twirling his pen in his hand, stopping short of putting his signature on the form. Knowing that she wouldn't get away without telling him at least something, Riza stiffened, closing her eyes as she prepared her response.

'I...I thought I might get married, sir,' she replied, a blush spreading fiercely along her cheeks as she fanned her face over-exaggeratedly. 'It is awfully hot in here, sir.'

'Married?' he half-said, half-gasped, his coldly dark eyes focusing intensely on hers. 'To whom?'

'Who knows,' Riza sighed, shrugging her shoulders and pointing deliberately at the signature box at the end of the form. 'Maybe someone from Xing. I was thinking of going there first. I heard that Fullmetal's brother is marrying a Xingese Princess of some sort.'

'Fullmetal's brother is marrying?' Roy said, sounding a little surprised as the tip of his pen hovered over the signature box at the end of the form. 'Well, well, well. That's...surprising. I suppose that shows how old we're getting, doesn't it, Hawkeye?'

'I couldn't agree more, sir,' Riza agreed, nodding her head and tapping the form in frustration. 'I'm not getting any younger standing here either, sir. If you would, please...'

'Would you consider marrying me, Hawkeye?'

His words hit her like a falling brick to the skull. No. He couldn't have said that. He couldn't possibly have said that. There was no way that he would ever consider something like that. Shaking her head and blinking, Riza pulled herself together and blushingly faced her superior.

'W-What did you just say, sir?' she asked him, staring into his eyes in anticipation. She must have been dreaming. There was no way. There was absolutely no way that he could really have said that. It must have been her mind playing tricks on her, her wishes coming to life right in front of her. She was right to get away. She was probably going completely mad.

'Would you consider marrying me, Hawkeye?' he repeated, a slight wobble in his voice as he placed his hands on the desk, levering himself up so that he stood just taller than his subordinate.

'Sir...' she coughed, loosening her collar as he approached her, standing practically toe-to-toe with her as she considered her response. She wasn't dreaming, that much she was sure of. However, she didn't quite understand where this sudden question had come from. It was strange, far too strange and sudden for her liking. Although she had dreamt about this just a little over the years, it wasn't something that she was prepared for at all.

'So, how about it? Let's face it, you're practically the only woman I've seen in the last ten years...' he sighed, his hand quivering just a little as he reached out to stroke her reddened cheek, his unsure fingers fanning out around the back of her neck as he hesitated in position, their eyes locked in some kind of impass.

'If that's the only reason why, then my answer is no,' Riza snapped coldly, her hand flying up to meet his. 'If I marry, I want to marry for love, not for convenience.'

'Then marry me,' Mustang insisted, wriggling his hand within her grip so that their fingers intertwined. Neither of them needed to say any more. Words would have been wasted on such a moment, unnecessary words that neither of them wanted or needed. Their breath hot on each other's lips, they pressed their mouths softly together, neither of them wanting to do anything but show the other everything that they had been needing for all this time. Softly, slowly, Roy let his tongue slip into the mouth of the blonde-haired woman, his hand drifting around to unclip her hair as he deepened the kiss. As the long, soft waves of her hair cascaded over her shoulders, he pulled away slowly, tapping his forehead against hers.

'If you insist, sir,' she smiled, a rare emotion stretching across her face and spreading all the way from her head to her feet as he took her in his arms once more, kissing and kissing her until the two of them fell back on the couch in his room, laughing as if they were still the two young people who had met all that time ago.

Finally, the silence was broken.


End file.
